Sharka's Oscar Picks

Bob Sharka’s Best of 2010

Strange year, indeed…I have a “doc” (EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP) on my best film list which isn’t in my doc list because, quite frankly, I’m not sure it was REALLY a doc…Terrific film but a doc???? – I still don’t know.Also have Javier Bardem in Mexico’s foreign Oscar® submission BIUTIFUL in the best actor category…even thought of having a “best film requiring a seat belt” category which would have been 127 HOURS.

Toughest pic, again, is the foreign film category….only saw 45 of the 65 but did manage to give the public a sneak of TIRZA (At the Friends Of Film Foreign Film Series) from THE NETHERLANDS, a top twenty for sure, that didn’t get into Palm Springs Film Festival, the biggest and best American Festival for Foreign Oscar® submissions…wondering too why Iceland’s MAMA GOGO - which centers on a son dealing with his aging mother’s health - didn’t make the cut either…I lost a 20 year-old bottle of single malt scotch on that one, thinking the Palm Springs demographic would have loved it, but who said being a programmer is easy?Finally, Greece’s DOGTOOTH…one of most bizarre films in recent memory (and I mean that in a good way) polarized the masses, including myself who loved it and hated it at the same time

Surprise of the year came with Paul Giamatti and Rosamund Pike’s off-the-charts performances in BARNEY’S VERSION…

The doc category was the equivalent of picking Miss America – really tough to go wrong with ANY of the finalists…CATFISH was a laugh a minute, MARWENCOL brought tears to my eyes, INSIDE JOB made me want to cut my OWN throat, JOAN RIVERS; A PIECE OF WORK was, please forgive me, a piece of work, and finally THIS WAY OF LIFE from the Kiwis had everyone breaking out his Psychology 101 text book.

In the SUPPORTING ACTRESS category young newcomer Hailee Steinfeld TRUE GRIT easily took the cake… never believed in the “too young to win” theory but, admittedly support the “they never got one so maybe it’s time” belief…hey, I’m human.Don’t know why but I get the heebie-jeebies every year trying to select BEST ACTRESS but after a couple of light sleeping nights, I ended up with Catherine Keener… forgive me, picking Catherine Keener.